Vigil
by Sheryl Nantus
Summary: After the end of Season 5, there are loose ends that need to be tied up. And goodbyes needed to be said...


Vigil

They didn't know what to do with the body.

There would be no burial. On that, she stood firm.

She told Mack it'd be too confusing, too much chance of the team being discovered, being interrogated as to what part they had taken in stopping Talbot, what they had done not only to stop him, but in creating him.

Quietly they had arranged for the body to be cremated – in the chaos left in the middle of Talbot's attack, it was easy to get it done without anyone asking too many questions, inquiries shrugged off in the bureaucratic mess swirling around them, around the entire world.

Mack made sure to take the wedding ring off and give it to her, the one Deke had found in the thrift shop – the one Leo was destined to wear in this reality, that reality… she couldn't make up her mind what reality they were in now, except it didn't have her Fitz.

And yet, it did.

When the time had come, he'd brought the box to her – his eyes red and swollen, Yoyo by his side. She'd kissed his cheek, taken the box from his hands and turned away, heading for her quarters on the Zephyr.

Their quarters.

She placed it beside the multitool and his suitcase, the one she'd carefully packed up before leaving the Lighthouse.

The two rings were there as well, sitting in a small teacup she'd found in the supply cabinets – the plain, white ceramic was perfect to hold them secure until they arrived at Enoch's ship.

But before anything else - they stopped in Tahiti.

Coulson came by before leaving with May, holding her hand tight. She saw the strain in his face, the effort to keep standing and act as if everything was normal.

"You need to think about how to approach this. He won't be the same," the ex-Director said. "The Lighthouse, all of it – in his mind it hasn't happened yet."

"I know." She held back the tears, for all of them. "But he's Fitz. He'll understand."

"True," Coulson conceded. "Just… don't be too hard on him when he wakes up. In his mind, he's getting ready to come and save us. Going to be a letdown when he finds out it's the other way around." One edge of his mouth twitched upward. "Sorry I won't get the chance to marry you two all over again."

"Don't be too sure of that." She looked at May, seeing the determination in the woman's eyes. If anyone can keep Coulson alive, she can. "We'll be back before you know it – and this time the scenery will be real."

"It'll be messy. Sand gets in everything," he groused. He glanced at May. "Everything."

May smiled and tugged at his hand and like that, Jemma was headed for Jupiter, to rendezvous with a man she knew but didn't know.

A man she loved with all her heart.

She glanced out the window, saw the same stars she'd seen yesterday, and the day before that.

"You'll love flying back home," she said out loud. "Tinkering with the maps, playing with the controls. Piper's going to have to throw you off the bridge."

Jemma looked at the table. The teacup, the rings – the multitool, the suitcase.

The box.

She'd sworn them all to secrecy, to say nothing until she had a chance to talk to Fitz, explain what had happened to them. To him. The good and the bad.

He'd been prepared to wait decades to see her again, putting his faith in an alien artifact and hoping Enoch would survive long enough to help him get to her.

But that was nothing new – he'd leaped into a swirling sandstorm to cross between worlds to save her once.

Compared to that, this was easy.

"Hey." Mack came around the corner, leaning on the doorway. "Got something here you'll want to see." He smiled and nodded. "Showtime." His eyes went to the box and the grin disappeared.

"Be right up." She gave him her best smile. "Don't start without me."

"Wouldn't think of it." He dipped his head again in a silent nod to the ashes before leaving. "See you on the bridge."

She reached for the multitool and slipped it into her pocket. "You'd want to have this back as soon as you wake up," Jenna whispered.

The two rings go in the other pocket. She'll show him when it's time, tell him about their adventures. Their future.

Their grandson.

Then they'll spread the ashes of their fallen friend among the stars, as he should be.

"We are all made of star stuff," she murmured. "Least we can do is make the trip shorter for him."

Jemma kissed her fingertips before pressing it to the black box. "Sleep well, love."

She stood up and drew a deep breath.

 _I'm coming for you, Fitz. With all my love._

Without looking back, she headed out of the room and into a brave, new future.


End file.
